Episode 17: Ernestine Berry on Seeking the History of Her People – the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees

Ernestine (Sawney) Berry is a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees (UKB) and the founding Director of the UKB John Hair Cultural Center and Museum (JHCCM). She was pivotal in the establishment of the JHCCM in 2011, which is dedicated to sharing Keetoowah culture and history with the Keetoowah community and the public. She earned a master’s degree in education administration from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and a master’s degree in museum studies from the University of Oklahoma. Berry focuses on researching and sharing tribal history and culture, growing the tribal archives, and helping revitalize the Keetoowah language.

In this episode, we are also joined by guest co-host: Evelyn Castro Cox. Evelyn is a doctoral candidate in Information Studies and the Native Nations Center Coordinator at the University of Oklahoma where she obtained her MLIS as well as her Graduate Certificate in Archival Studies in 2018.  She earned her BA in English from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Evelyn is CHamoru (also known as Chamorro), born on the beautiful island of Guåhan (Guam – island territory of the United States) and now lives in Oklahoma. She is a retired public-school teacher and coach and continues to work in education at multiple levels and in various capacities. Evelyn is also a 2016-2018 SAA Mosaic Program Fellow, a 2018 AAPB Public Broadcasting Preservation Fellow, and an EASP Scholar. Evelyn’s work centers around documenting and preserving history that is inclusive of the many voices and vantage points not formerly represented or acknowledged in the record. Her areas of interest are related to information access and representation, particularly around the use of technology for social, generational, and cultural preservation and transference.  

Resources

John Hair Cultural Center and Museum – https://www.ukb-nsn.gov/john-hair-cultural-center-museum

Native Nations Center at University of Oklahoma – https://www.ou.edu/nativenationscenter

THPO with Sheila Bird (Podcast) – https://www.buzzsprout.com/1922460